Time for the sad feels train.
Once we hit BBS pieces, if you've watched Everglow's KH Timeline, things pretty much go in that order for how events happen. I'll be adding little touches, but this chapter may be the longest since I want to stick to my 13 chapters. X,D
I have updated Vulpes to Dandelions Ch 38: Aqua, with the adjustment to Eraqus's letter, as well as fixing a grammatical error as of this posting.
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What disasters may come, Whatever it may be
At the end of the age, It will land you and me
What tragedy may bring, Whatever may fall
The end of the world, You'll still belong
-Anberlin, Miserabile Visu {Ex Malo Bonum}
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Aqua had barely gotten her glove back on by the time she reached her room, quickly entering and closing the door before collapsing on her bed. The Memories of Urd and Vor had reacted to her turmoil, but were unable to get her to speak with them as she'd wept in the confusion of her emotions. She found herself dreading seeing Ventus at breakfast the next morning.
Yet, he never arrived.
This caused a different sort of confused apprehension for her as she looked to Terra, "Where's Ven?"
The brunette looked at her with an easy shrug as Eraqus cleared his throat, "He was here early this morning, having already prepared a small meal for himself before asking to be excused indefinitely for a research project so that I may focus on completing your training for Mastery."
The two apprentices stared at the elder as Terra asked, "So Ven's being completely removed from our lessons?"
Aqua's heart sank, unable to decide how to react to this as she outwardly frowned.
The Master nodded, "Yes. If you find him scarce, it's due to the project he's placed upon himself."
Aqua rasped, "But is that really alright?" The two looked at her in concern as she continued, clearing her throat, "I mean, he shouldn't have to give up his own training just for us…"
Eraqus pursed his lips before speaking, "Ventus is a special case." The two apprentices watched at him apprehensively, "He most likely will never be permitted to leave this Land, and thus, is not in the running for Mastery."
The two gasped, Terra standing up in shock as he slammed his hands on the table, "But Master! He's been training and dreaming to be a Keyblade Master just as much as Aqua and I! Is he a prisoner here, that he can't even leave?! What was the point of even giving him Keyblade Armor?"
Eraqus stood, taking a step back as he gave his two apprentices a frighteningly frigid stare as he pressured them with the full depth of his authority within the Castle, the walls themselves seeming to close in on them with his conviction, "It must be done." The Master left, leaving the weight of his authority upon them until several minutes passed.
Aqua took a shaky breath as she lowered herself into her seat, staring at her cold breakfast with no appetite and stomach in her throat, tears clouding the edge of her vision, "Is.. Is it my fault?" She was almost breathless.
Terra jolted out of his own trance as he looked at her in confusion, "Wha- Why in the world would any of this be your fault? The Master has been holding Ven back for years!"
She frowned, realizing she'd had the same thoughts herself. She breathed for a few moments, trying to collect herself as she heard Terra come near, "...What happened, Aqua?"
Aqua watched as Terra sat down next to her, concern etched deep on his face.
She didn't want to speak about it. Aqua didn't know if he would go after Ventus or think she was being silly. She just… she didn't know what to do.
"Ventus kissed my hand."
Terra blinked as he was left baffled, "How did that happen?"
Aqua glanced at him and after a moment of study, decided he wasn't angry or jealous but purely lost as she decided to not explain the whole truth, "I… Uh, I accidentally said something and... " She shrugged helplessly, unsure of how to explain herself as she slumped, "It just turned out that way."
Terra studied her for a long moment, "Are you ok?"
She thought about it for a long while, "He didn't do anything to- I just.. I feel like I'm the one in the wrong, 'cause he was simply responding to something I'd said… It shouldn't have affected me the way it did." But it had. It had made her heart race, set her nerves on fire, and left her weeping in confusion because she could still so clearly recall the way he'd been when he'd first arrived broken and lost. She was afraid of what that meant.
Terra sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, not at all sure of what to do but understanding that Ventus had taken the initiative and then fully backed off, "Do you need a hug?"
Aqua nodded silently as he pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face into his chest as she cried softly. She felt foolish.
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Terra had Aqua take the first round of intensive study in preparation for their test as he searched the Castle for their wayward friend.
He found himself completely and utterly lost after an hour and a half of searching every room and area of the Castle. Rooms he'd never been in, studies with dusty books.
Ventus's empty room more than once.
He sighed heavily, wiping his brow as he noticed a shimmer down the hall.
He felt his breath catch as he stared at an unknown girl, her black jacket, white button up shirt, and pleated skirt with its belts. Her long black hair shifted in the light as she watched him with a kind smile, brown eyes almost closed in sleep. She alone was strange enough, a strange shimmer of a mirage as she sparkled in the mid-morning light, but it was the phantom that stood next to her that bewildered and frightened him.
Ventus, even more translucent and shimmering then the girl, looking even younger than he had when he arrived, eyes closed in sleep as he stood, his hand held by the girl.
She pulled the child-memory of his friend, heading towards the steps to the highest tower as she partially turned, motioning with her head to follow.
Terra regained his breath and slowly followed the two up the many stairs, each level leaving him with more burning questions as they simply kept to his pace until they made it to the top.
The moment the Memories reached the highest step they disappeared in a shower of glitter as he finally paused to catch his breath from the climb, looking around the small room in wonder. He'd barely been up here himself, but he remembered how bright it was from the windows, and also how dusty it was.
It was clean and shining.
Ventus was sitting at the window that would give him the best view of whoever was in the courtyard. A few books and papers scattered around him as he was clearly lost in thought. He was holding his knees loosely.
He looked so lonely, his head leaned close to the window.
"Ven?"
The blond blinked slowly as he shifted to look at him, "Terra? What're you doing up here?"
Terra glanced around with a frown, "Did you clean up here all by yourself?"
Ventus shrugged, "I come up here pretty often."
So this wasn't new.
It made Terra absently wonder, How much did they know about their friend..?
"What happened between you and Aqua?"
Ventus slumped into himself as he made a rather strange face. Somewhere between guilt, annoyance, envy, and exhaustion, "Did she say anything?"
"She said you kissed her hand."
Ventus got up from his window nook and placed his hands on his hips in annoyance, "Then why are you asking me?"
Terra ruffled his own hair as he looked away from the blond, "I just…" He deflated a bit, "I've never seen Aqua that… confused before."
Ventus pursed his lips in thought for a long moment before responding sharply, "How many girls have you dated since coming here?"
Terra tensed as he looked at Ventus in startled confusion, "N-no one?"
"Exactly."
The elder blinked bewildered as Ventus went up to him, a strange authority in his countenance, "Terra, we're all sheltered children here. We've had only each other as an option for any sort of outlet for romantic fantasy. Now the two of you are going to leave and there's a whole wide Universe full of people and places to meet." The blond frowned, "Be glad you have the opportunity to widen your view of the Worlds."
Terra took a half step back, shocked by Ventus's aura that he couldn't help but find himself intimidated by it, baffled at how he was somehow using a similar authority to the Master earlier as Ventus continued, "Get out."
The brunette turned and left without a second thought, feeling completely shredded by the blond's words and stare.
Unable to forgive himself for the glassy devastation behind Ventus's fragile front of authority.
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A week passed as tensions rose within the Castle's walls. At first Eraqus had simply thought his students were upset with him for removing Ventus.
Slowly, he came to realize each of his students were stepping on eggshells around each other.
Ventus was keeping to himself more than even he had planned for, almost forgetting the blond was even there until he heard the boy singing in the rafters.
Songs he shouldn't know as wind swept hauntingly through the beams.
The phantoms of his friends were of no use in getting to the bottom of his student's problems, shrugging his concerns off and simply claiming that it was for them to deal with.
He frowned, frustrated that after so many years this new strange unease surrounding his students began with Ventus. He approached the blond in the Library as he looked for more material for his project, "Ventus."
The teen fumbled his book and nearly toppled the ladder in surprise, turning to him in surprised confusion. "Master?"
"I don't know what you've done to upset the balance, but I demand you fix it."
The blond gave him the most scathing look he'd ever seen on his youngest apprentice. The blond went to say something before hopping off his ladder and strut out of the Library, glaring at him the entire time without protest.
Eraqus sighed lightly as he felt a presence appear near to him. He turned and Hermod's silence was there to greet him. The aged Master looked at his old friend for a long moment, "Well? Are you here to reprimand me, Hermod?"
The man's expression became downcast, You've changed, Eraqus.
The phantom stepped away, leaving the elder cold and hollow in his frustrations as the Memory faded out of sight.
Was it not bad enough that his own son could not quell his own desire for power and kept feeding his Darkness?
The Light must prevail.
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Ventus had skipped his meals, leaving Aqua and Terra more than concerned as Eraqus became more frustrated by the blond's antics.
He was no longer anywhere in the Castle.
Terra stood from their tense dinner, "I'm going to look for him."
Aqua frowned, "No Terra, let me-"
Eraqus gave her a look that silenced her, "You may search for Ventus, Terra." The Master was on his last threads of patience.
Aqua looked down at her half eaten plate and Terra left. She sighed lightly as she stood, leaving after him with a short goodbye to the Master.
It was uncomfortable.
Terra began his search, moving from one area to the next before he found Ventus at the summit near the training spinner. He paused as he looked at the blond, body rigid and unable to find release for his frustrations as he gripped the hilt of Wayward Wind with whitened knuckles.
"..Ven?"
The blond stayed as he was for an excruciatingly long moment before he slowly turned to him. His eyes were deep pools of emptiness. His tone was flat, "What, Terra."
Terra was speechless for a moment before cautiously walking up to his friend, voice low and quiet, "I'm sorry."
The blond's brows furrowed, "What for?"
The brunette scratched his head as he thought, "For being inconsiderate?"
Ventus frowned. He went to say something before catching himself, sighing heavily as he turned away from him, "You didn't really do anything wrong." His voice was still freakishly flat.
Terra rolled his shoulders, "I poked my nose in where it didn't belong."
The blond soaked that in for a moment before deflating, the tension bleeding out of him as he bowed his head, "Ok." He turned and smiled at Terra tiredly, "Sorry for giving you the cold shoulder."
Terra lightly ruffled Ventus's hair, causing the boy to nearly trip, already unused to the other's strength. The brunette was startled by this, yet Ventus surprised him further by hugging him tightly as if he were starving for attention. His face buried in his stomach muffled his voice, "Thanks, Terra."
The brunette nodded with a slight smile as Ventus backed up, "Is Aqua ok?"
The taller shrugged, "You'll have to ask her, Ven."
The blond watched him for a moment before nodding, making his way back to the Castle without another word.
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Ventus stood in front of Aqua's door, shuffling a little bit until he cautiously knocked, "Coming!"
She opened the door and blinked, shocked to see him standing there, "Ven!" She glanced both ways down the hallway before grabbing him, startling him as he tripped his way inside her room at her pull. Her hand was still firmly on his arm as she closed her door and faced him with pursed lips.
Ventus looked up at her with trepidation. It didn't really matter whose fault it was anymore.
He just wanted his friends back while there was still time left.
She studied him for a long moment before hugging him to her tightly as she tried to hold back a fresh wave of tears, "Did you know how worried about you I was?"
Ventus's hands twitched as his brows furrowed, "You were… worried?" He'd been worried too.
"Of course I was! We… we never really…" She fumbled her words as she slowly released her hold on him as he looked up to her, "Ven, what you did was kind of intense."
He made a face that was something between a pout and a frown, "I- I didn't mean to scare you…"
She huffed, "Ven, I crossed a line I shouldn't have first. I-"
Ven took a long step back, keeping in reach but also giving them space, "Aqua. I'm sorry for overwhelming you."
She paused for a long moment a little surprised before smiling slightly, "Do you hate me Ven?"
His brows lowered, "Of course not, why would you even-"
Aqua raised her hand, "Even after a week, I don't really understand my feelings when it comes to you, Ven… But… I do understand what you were saying."
They stood in a moment of silence before Aqua continued, voice soft, "Is it alright… if I keep my feelings to myself? Until we're older?"
He smiled wryly, "If you even still like me by then."
She huffed and swatted his shoulder, "I'm serious Ven!"
He laughed lightly, "Fine, fine, we can talk about this when we're older. I won't hold you to it, though."
Aqua pouted, "Ven."
The blond shrugged, "There's more Stars in the sky, Aqua."
She frowned, "So you're off limits?"
He rolled his eyes as he scooted around her to get to the door, opening it deftly and taking a step out, "I think we're just too immature." He let himself out, closing the door the second he disappeared into the hallway.
She smiled slightly, nodding morosely.
They really were too immature.
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Ventus lay on the grass, watching a meteor shower, "Why does this look… so familiar?" His hand reaching towards the sky with his keyblade in hand. Back bent over a rough curved trunk. Yellow stars barely peeking out from under palms.
He woke up, having lost track of time before being startled by Aqua appearing in his vision, "Woah!" She giggled at his reaction as he got onto his knees, "Gimme a break, Aqua." She'd popped up on him several times over the past week to check up on him. He just kept having mini heart attacks because of how silently she moved. She'd been acting like a cat, seeing how close she could get before he noticed her presence.
"If you were gonna be a hopeless sleepyhead outside, you should've at least brought a blanket."
He frowned, thinking over the memory that had skirted behind his eyes, "But- Did I dream that place up..? It really felt like I'd been there before… looking up at the stars."
Aqua affectionately ruffled his hair with a short laugh, "Except you've always lived here with us." As far back as you can remember, at least.
Ventus nodded as he stared at the ground, "Yeah…" 'Insofar as my memory goes…' "I know." He smiled at her with wry affection as he stood, walking towards the edge of the summit. Aqua followed close behind, sitting beside him comfortably.
Soon Terra joined them as they spoke at length before Aqua pulled out her Wayfinder charms she'd been working on.
Casting an Unbreakable Connection into each piece, so that they would always find their way back to the other, no matter how far into the great Universe they were led.
They practiced fighting to try and burn off their nervous energy at the change tomorrow's Mark of Mastery would bring.
And as they turned in to sleep for the night…
It was the last night they'd spend together under the same stars before falling into slumber.
Let their Hearts be their Guiding Key.
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Ventus ran to the courtyard, the words of the boy in the mask causing him great unease, "Terra!"
The brunette turned, ruffling his hair as he then turned and put on his Keyblade Armor.
Terra had a mission, and he would fulfill it and get his father's approval.
He threw Earthshaker into the air and hopped onto his Glider, leaving Ventus behind as the blond watched fascinated.
He had never activated his armor, nor had he ever been taught how to formchange his Keyblade.
But he was quick on the uptake, and with a sliver of unease, he hit his pauldron, activating the armor Eraqus had (hesitantly) granted him. He studied himself for a moment, in awe of the strange and new equipment that fit perfectly to his form.
It wasn't anything like what they'd used before-
He clenched his hand in determination and summoned Wayward Wind. With a flourish he threw his Keyblade, willing with all of his Heart that it would become a vessel in which he could follow his brother-friend.
To keep him safe from inevitable change.
The Keyblade answered his Hope and changed anew, coming to his side as he jumped onto the craft, immediately going to follow Terra.
He barely heard Aqua yell his name as he passed through the Light Corridor.
"No! He mustn't!" Eraqus watched in heart dropping trepidation as the boy disappeared. He immediately turned to his newly appointed equal, "You have to bring him back."
Aqua didn't want Ventus to be wandering the Worlds so unprepared, "Don't worry Master, I'll bring him back." She too transformed herself and Keyblade and made haste into the slowly closing Corridor.
Eraqus stood in the empty courtyard, Castle and World so quickly bereft of its children.
He sighed shakily as he turned, returning to the Castle as foreboding nagged at his heels.
What had spurred Ventus to leave so abruptly? He shouldn't have been able to change his Keyblade, and yet, through force of will alone he had done in moments what took weeks of practice for Aqua and Terra.
The phantom of his ancestor stood in the middle of the hall, light shining through his almost solid form as if he smiled sadly. "The pieces are all on the table Eraqus. The game has just begun, yet the bets are coming to a close. Just what, exactly, do the Fates have in store for you?
Will you triumph beyond death, or will your story simply end at the final blow?"
Brain's Memory turned, "The Castle has one final secret up its sleeve to show you before your end.
Follow me, and see the ancient secret sealed within the thirteenth floor below."
He began to walk as Eraqus stood frozen. The words of their last meeting coming to mind, his grim countenance.
His warning that was now coming to fruition.
How did he know so much about what yet would come?
Eraqus followed the First as the Memory held up a silver and black card towards a sculpture the Master had hardly ever paid any mind to.
A door shimmered into existence, opening outwards as the Memory led him down into the hidden depths of the Castle.
A place not recorded in its entire history.
It was a terrible silence, his steps echoing ominously as each stair brought him closer to a greater mystery.
Finally, his feet met the final landing of the bottom-most floor. Wide doors that held heavy seals in place.
A mausoleum for the living-but-dead?
The Memory turned, his hat tipped up so that his eyes weren't cast in shadow, "Only Master's Union can open this door, just as it is the only one that can transform this land into its sealed state." He motioned at the door as Master's Defender responded by appearing in Eraqus's hand.
The old Master looked at his faithful weapon tiredly.
He was a Master, prepared to die at any time to protect the balance of the Light.
He was not ready for such a dubious end.
He lifted Master's Defender at its insistence, a brilliant flash of light in the dim space as the sealed centuries preserved behind the closed doors fell away.
Slowly, the large ornate doors opened, a bright white room illuminating the dim of the hall as the First's image became ever more solid. He was a projection of Memory, but being so near to his source solidified his presence.
He smiled and turned, "Welcome to the computer room, Eraqus. Where those sleeping, waiting for their Hearts to be returned await. To bring Light beyond that ever looming Darkness as was prophesied."
Eraqus stepped into the ancient room, computers still fully active as they monitored various Worlds and balances.
Yet, despite the blatant advancement of such ancient technology, it was the five clear capsules in the center of the room, various wires attached to each case as they were spread in a flower-shaped circle.
The symbol of Lux hidden beneath the tangles of wires.
The Memory placed a hand on the front-most capsule, his own body stored within it asleep. "Time has such difficult properties, Eraqus." He shook his head sadly, "To travel through time, there must be a piece of you to meet there. So how could we help that Hopeless future if we would be more than dust by the time of its fulfillment?"
A wry smile slid into place, "So in the panic and rush of the confusion that came to greet us in those too-early days beyond the War's end, I pulled Heart from body, leaving only a shard behind in each corpse to fulfill that need."
Eraqus was horrified. His Keyblade could do such a terrible thing, and not just once but several times over?!
The Memory observed the Master for a long moment before making his way to another capsule, Eraqus following transfixed as he suddenly recognized the form Sleeping within. His breath caught, Ventus?!
Brain bowed his head, solemn, "The choices we were given were few. For what would we travel ahead for? What reasoning could we find to go through such a harrowing experiment?" He turned, "There was no time, and so for each I chose and sent ahead as I stayed behind, choosing a new vessel for my Heart so I could continue onwards, watching over the Worlds as the appointed time came closer."
Eraqus felt faint, "How could you remove an incomplete Heart with nothing to place it in?!"
The Memory looked over the rest of the capsules, "In separating Heart from Flesh, an empty shell came into being. Their Memories were lost, but they had new empty bodies in their own image to inhabit. Yet, just as there was a shell made from Nothing to house their new weak and healing Hearts, a Heartless was borne. It was an unfortunate side-effect of their separation, Ventus's in particular disappeared before it could be slain."
Eraqus's heart seized, wondering what sort of Darkness still might be lingering in the depths.
Brain studied the Master for a long moment, "Ephemer was unique, though." He stared at a capsule which housed a boy with silver-swirled hair, a smile on his resting face, "He retained his Memories despite the others becoming almost zombies- well. Lauriam and Elrena seemed to have some sort of grasp upon their sense of selves, but Ephemer… He was special from the beginning. He was our chosen Leader between the five of us for a reason…" He sighed lightly, "He chose to walk into the vast Light and move ahead in that dubious manner, to meet them at the end of despair. To create a connection."
A connection to what?
Brain's Memory moved to stand in front of him, "May our mysteries be recorded in Memory. Ephemer whose Heart was full of Courage. Skuld whose Heart was full of Love. Ventus whose Heart was full of Compassion. Elrena whose Heart was full of Zeal, Laurium whose Heart was full of Protecting those Beloved to him, and Strelitzia whose Heart was struck down for her Hope. Remember them."
Eraqus breathed, "And what of you, Brain?"
He smiled, "Brain, whose Heart was filled to the brim with Determination, armed with forbidden Knowledge, whose path is still yet Traveled."
The Memory shimmered as it faded, Master's Defender pulling him to leave.
His time here was done.
Eraqus turned, leaving the strange time-capsuled room behind, re-sealing its doors as he made the tiring climb back towards the surface.
He had his final will to prepare.
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There was so much his various ancestors had left behind for him to find and piece together, the story of their origins.
Yet, he could not help but think that it was Brain himself who ensured the clarity of such ancient Memory.
Terra,
By the time you are finally able to read this letter, I will probably be long gone. I know not what will have become of me, but what I do know is that what you face now is merely a matter of self doubt and a lack of confidence to pass your Mark of Mastery.
I apologize to you all, for though I have done my best to teach you about the Worlds, I greatly rejected Darkness in all of its forms.
So much so that it only caused it to fester within your Heart even further.
Forgive me. I did not want you to suffer as I did at the devastating reality of what Darkness can do to a person. My Grandfather, my family and friends all fell to its terrible devastation. Yet, Xehanort is the root of my absolute abhorrence of Darkness. The scars on my face, and the deepest wounds in my Heart.
He was a beloved friend and brother to me. While we were young we both used Light and Darkness in equal measure, balanced as it should be.
But then Xehanort rejected the Light, so I in turn rejected the Dark.
I was foolish and heartbroken. I have only possibly caused you, Aqua, and Ventus more pain in abstaining from teaching you about Darkness and how it grabs hold of the Heart.
You three are all my beloved children, loved equally in measure.
But you alone carry my blood.
Forgive me for my silence, my son, as we constantly danced around the issue.
I am sorry I could not protect your mother from that terrible disease she suffered. Yet, from that tragedy I have been blessed, to be able to take you under my wing and raise you, even under the guise of a Stranger so that you could grow into the man you have become.
I know not what will become of this journey I have set you and Aqua on. I can only hope that Ventus can be retrieved before it is too late.
The item I am leaving to you is the detailed tree of our family's root. Our bloodline that runs as far back as the Age of Fairy Tales, when the Lost Masters still walked this earth.
Before the First Keyblade War that Xehanort is so obsessed with.
You and I are the last known carriers of what they call the 'Blue Blood' of Keyblade lineage.
I never took pride or prestige in it, but it is my duty to pass along the information our family has so carefully safeguarded about the Truths that were learned about the Keyblade War.
About the Foretellers who disappeared.
The rise and fall of Daybreak Town, as it was transformed into Scala ad Caelum. The place where all Worlds Once Sprang. The knowledge left behind by our ancestor Brain, a Union Leader of the Dandelions chosen by Master Ava.
And the four other Union Leaders who were sent ahead into Time.
The names that were left behind, Ephemer, Skuld, Laurium, Elrena, Ventus, and Strelitzia.
I hope that perhaps you might find the answers to these mysteries that I was too late to even begin to entertain. I will protect my family at any cost.
I love you, my beloved son, Terra.
Beware the return of the Black Box, and the Master of Masters.
May your Heart be Your Guiding Key.
-Master Eraqus
The Master set his pen down, his hand shaking as he slowly leaned back to rest in his chair, eyes closed as he steeled his Heart for the cobbled together final Hope he had to save his children and stop Xehanort's plans.
What machinations had he allowed into his home, simply because he could not forget the love he had for his friend-brother?
Slowly he opened his eyes, the sun shining as he looked to the side to meet the weeping gaze of Urd.
Urd did not weep.
He couldn't help the wry smile on his face, "Have you come to see me greet my end due to my own foolishness as you always warned me?"
The Phantom sniffed as she tried to pull herself together, 'I loved you, you stupid idiot. You're so dumb. I wished for nothing but for you to live and your happiness as I died!'
He chuckled softly, "I can't imagine the real Urd saying such things. Are you not simply projections made of my Memory, and thus, simply telling me things I might have idly hoped or wished for in my youth?"
Urd released a heavy breath as she ignored him, 'I wanted to watch Aqua grow into her Mastery, I wanted to see Terra gain his Mark, and I wanted to see Ventus flourish freely. We can't see any of that if you're dead.'
Eraqus looked away from her, "A Memory recorded cannot be lost in this Castle."
'But we do fade. Eventually we will fall into obscurity, silent ghosts with voices unable to reach the living.'
Like ink on page that bleeds at water's touch.
He closed his eyes as he whispered in defeat, "I'm sorry."
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Eraqus stood from his desk, walking swiftly to the outdoors as he sensed one of his pupils return.
Opening the main door, he found Ventus standing alone and unsure of himself. A chill ran down his back as he walked towards his wayward student, a last ditch plan to save them all formulating in his mind.
If I can seal Ventus, if I can remove his Heart and place it back into his original body, then Xehanort will never reach him in that sealed room.
He will never be capable of making the ꭗ-blade!
But it struck him as odd that the apprentice had returned without a chaperone.
"Ventus, you're alone? I thought Aqua would-" He stopped, feeling Hope in his Heart that he could pull this off without any of his students being involved to misunderstand his intentions.
He could explain himself later.
He gently took Ventus by the shoulders as he looked him over while kneeling before him, "Well, what matters is that you're home. You don't belong outside this world yet. You need to stay here, where you can learn-"
"In your prison?"
Eraqus was taken aback, No no no, don't let it fall apart now. "What?"
Ventus continued, hurt clear in his voice, "That's your excuse… For keeping me imprisoned here, isn't it?"
Eraqus pulled himself up, determination and sorrow tugging at his chest. "What did you hear?"
At Ventus's explanation, Eraqus felt the scars on his face burn as he traced them. He recalled the moment Xehanort scarred him, that terrible Darkness as it ate at his flesh. "I failed. I had the chance to stop him and couldn't do it." His determination peaked, and he summoned Master's Defender, "But I will not fail again!" His Heart was sure in what he must do.
Ventus backed up, fear growing ever more evident on his face as betrayal swirled in his Heart, "Master! What are you…"
Eraqus held his Keyblade at the ready, "The ꭗ-blade has no place in this or any World. Xehanort has made his purpose clear… and I am left with no choice. Forgive me…" Please, just let me seal your Heart until the danger has passed. "But you must exist no more!" His Heart ached as he prepared the sealing chains that would bind the boy, Casting them to-
"Ven!"
No! Not Terra, do not interfere!
His son, covered in armor, broke through the binding chains he'd set upon Ventus in a protective sweep, "What?!"
"Master, have you gone mad?!"
Time was running short, there was no time!
"Terra! I command you- step aside!"
The armor faded away as Terra refused, "No!"
Ventus stood resigned behind the brunette as Eraqus continued, "You will not heed your Master?"
"I won't!"
Eraqus felt his Heart break. "Why do all my attempts to reach you fail?" His anguish bled into his voice, "If you don't have it in your Heart to Obey… then you will have to share in Ventus's fate." A tear escaped unbidden in the culmination of his grief.
He charged Terra, and as the father and son clashed Ventus broke, giving in to his Master's resolve and understanding that it was for the Worlds that Eraqus made such difficult decisions. It was for the sake of all, he alone was not worth all the Worlds.
"Enough, Terra! He's right... "
Terra snapped, "Quiet!"
Ventus looked up, "Terra…"
With a final clash, Eraqus sprang back and threw a blast of Light at the two of them to wear them down. Terra stood his ground as Ventus crumpled. Yet, the brunette was determined to protect his friend and lifted him as Eraqus prepared another Light charge.
Terra breathed, his resolve coming to a head about his Darkness. Wisps of ink responded to his desire to protect what mattered, "You may be my Master, but I will not let you hurt my friend!"
The Darkness surged behind his son, "Has the Darkness taken you, Terra?!"
Terra half turned, using his Keyblade to open a Light Corridor. He threw Ventus into its pull as the blond slowly gathered himself, "Wait, Terra!" The World disappeared as his gate to freedom pulled Ventus away.
Terra stood resolved in the face of his father's anguished fury. Their fight was long and brutal, Terra witnessing the full strength of the Master who used moves Terra had never borne witness to as their ideals clashed. Each strike breaking their bonds further until something finally gave and Eraqus lost.
The Master held a hand to his chest as he breathed heavily, the weight of just what was happening suddenly sinking in. Terra slowly approached the Master, regret bleeding into every step as he shook his head in disbelief as Earthshaker left his grip, "What have I done… Master…" Father! "I just..." He raised his hand, "Wanted to keep Ven safe!"
Eraqus was crushed by his guilt, his zeal to see things through for the sake of the Light despite the risks and possible negative outcome, "No, you were right." He clutched his chest as pain wracked his aged body, "I failed you Terra. Perhaps I've no one to blame but myself for the Darkness inside you." Sorrow ran through his veins as Terra came within arm's reach, "And now I've done worse- Raised my Keyblade against you and Ventus."
Terra nearly collapsed from his anguish as he shook his head, afraid of his father's words.
"My own Heart is Darkness!" From behind a cold black pierced him, stealing his breath as the last of his strength immediately bled away. He could barely even take a breath, 'No, Terra should not see this! He is not to blame for my end!' Eraqus dropped Master's Defender as he fell, 'Xehanort!' His body was done, he landed on his knees.
Bragi, Baldr, Hermod, Urd, Vor!
Their memories flashed through his mind as he watched horror bleed into Terra's face, his arms outstretched as time suddenly came to a still.
One last vision before the end.
Thea overlapped Terra, pink quilted shawl over her shoulders, still young and beautiful as he remembered. Her blood strong within her son as her arms reached towards him, 'Will you not endure beyond Death's Door?'
...What?
'The Light has never left you, Eraqus. Will you not endure the deep Darkness with your son? Will you not encourage him still from within his Soul? Xehanort must not win, the Darkness can not overcome. Let us Rest Together and Heal his Heart, Strengthen it so that he may endure the long defeat.'
Time moved again as he began to fall forward, eyes falling shut, 'Yes. Let us protect him from the all encompassing Darkness.
Let us keep his Light shining bright.'
His body perished within Terra's near embrace. In that split moment, he took the last visage of his Will and placed his Heart to Rest within his son, buried within his Heart's Station.
For a Master can at least once remove Heart from body.
Terra gasped, the feeling of his father's death evaporating in his arms like the flickers of the hearth on a cold winter's morning. He collapsed onto his hands as tears fell, "Master Eraqus!" Father!
Master Eraqus had fallen.
T-a-V-t-A-v-X-t-A-v-T-a-V
And so the three faced their most harrowing trial yet.
Terra of the Earth, who shouldered the blame of his Father's death, the Protector.
Aqua of Binding Water, whose Mastery was still fresh, grasping onto frayed Bonds with a bleeding Will.
Ventus of Returning Wind, whose bonds spread throughout time, who would sacrifice everything to save his Friends.
Each of them faced the majesty of Kingdom Hearts, the machinations of Xehanort's thirst for knowledge, and the creation and destruction of the ꭗ-blade.
One by one they fell.
Terra into a Puppet.
Ventus into Slumber.
Aqua into Darkness.
You are all my beloved children, and one day-
Everything will be made Right.